The vinyl listening experience 101
With the unfortunate demise of national music retailer HMV Canada in the imminent future, it’s hard to see what the future of physical music sales holds.
Luckily for those who still enjoy buying music at a brick-and-mortar store, Sunrise Records will be taking over many of the soon-to-be vacated HMV spaces to serve as the next essential music lover’s stop. Sunrise Records hopes to succeed, despite the rise of music streaming services, by emphasizing the sales of vinyl records—the demand for which has been steadily rising in the past decade.
But why bother paying for expensive audio equipment and heavyweight vinyl records when cheaper music streaming services exist? Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music, among others, all offer affordable streaming access to an immensely comprehensive music library. If you argue that most music-streaming services only offer low-quality mp3 tracks, there are services like Tidal that offer high fidelity music streaming.
Moreover, music piracy has evolved into an untameable monster since the inception of online file-sharing services such as Napster and Limewire. Though music piracy through those channels hasn’t been as rampant in recent years since the advent of ad-supported free music streaming services, record companies still struggle to prevent albums by major recording artists from being uploaded and made available to the public for free.
Vinyl record sales have been an unprecedented success story during the decline of physical music sales. According to BuzzAngle Music—a music analytics service—vinyl record sales rose 25.9 per cent in 2016 even though physical album sales were down by 11.7 per cent overall from the previous year.
It’s unsurprising that many millennials are contributing to the success of the vinyl market when records by contemporary artists tailored to a younger audience—such as Katy Perry and Twenty One Pilots—are being sold among classic records by David Bowie or Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The general appeal of vinyl records from the viewpoint of audiophiles is that they just sound better. The argument is that the sound is warmer and fuller, in contrast to the 2D listening experience of low-quality audio files.
Generally, vinyl records are believed to have the potential for superior audio in comparison to digital audio, but that’s not always the case. For example, years of wear and tear will damage vinyl records, unlike digital files which will sound the same in decades to come. Furthermore, without high-quality audio equipment, your high-quality vinyl records just aren’t going to sound that great.
There are many different indicators of excellent sound quality in a vinyl record, but they can sometimes be accompanied by a caveat.
First pressings are regarded as being as close to the original master disc as possible—fans can listen to the album the way that the artist intended the album to be heard. Records that are advertised as having been re-engineered specifically for vinyl pressings are usually considered to be of higher quality since the manufacturer has put in the extra effort to make the record sound great on vinyl format.
Other records that are pressed without consideration for vinyl’s analog playback and are simply converted from the album’s digital audio version can sound tinny or even be off-timing.
Additionally, these pressings are often compressed so that the entire album can fit on a single LP to save on expenses of manufacturing a double LP, which means that the grooves on the record might be too close to each other and therefore run a greater risk of skipping.
Faster playback speeds mean that more of the audio data is conserved, but 45 rpm records are typically more expensive than common 33 1⁄3 records and are troublesome since listeners have to get up to flip the record more often.
Heavyweight editions are misleading since consumers assume that a 180 g record is automatically better than the regular 120 g record. While it is often superior, it’s not for the reason that most people might believe. The extra material doesn’t affect the surface of the record and how the needle makes contact with the grooves. Rather, the added weight of the record makes it more durable, which indicates that the manufacturer invested in creating a great-sounding record.
It’s unclear what all of this amounts to since most people can’t even tell the difference between low or high quality; digital or analog audio. Online tests are available where participants are given multiple versions of samples of the same song and are asked to discern which the higher quality version is. Without high-end headphones and a trained ear, the truth is that most people aren’t able to hear the difference in the audio files.
This just goes to show that the recent trend in vinyl pressings might not have anything to do with a superior sound. Many fans simply enjoy collecting the different colour variations of records that are made nowadays. Besides every colour of the rainbow, swirls and spatters, picture discs, and every other colour combination imaginable, some musicians have gone the extra mile to add novelty value to their records.
Marshmallow scents, glitter, autumn leaves, and blood—among other repulsive human excrements—have been pressed into the history of some of the strangest vinyl records that have been created. These make more than a great wall decoration—they’re eccentric conversation starters. Gone are the days of the monoculture of sleek, black records (though some audiophiles argue that classic black is the best colour to allow for an unblemished listening experience).
For me, the appeal of listening to records is the experience. Unlike when I’m listening to a playlist while I’m in transit, when I listen to a record I’m giving my undivided attention to listening to the album from front-to-back. I’m able to notice and appreciate subtle details such as volume levels and the transitions from one song to the next. Surface noises which were considered flaws before the time of CDs are now part of the charm of vinyl records. The subdued sound of the needle hitting the record and the warm crackles that accompany the listening experience all add to the atmosphere of the soundtrack. There’s just something romantic about it.
Though I enjoy collecting and listening to vinyl records, I can’t say that I’ll be ditching my iPod anytime soon. Vinyl records are not only limited and impractical for on-the-go listening, they’re expensive. The hardly noticeable difference in quality just can’t be justified for those of us on a student budget.
Whether or not you’re a collector or a firm believer that vinyl records remain the best audio format for listening to your favourite albums, it’s undeniable that there is still value in the physical representation of music.
Feature photo by Karen K. Tran.